People
News
Brideshead Revisited
Film critic Neil Davey on the stunning new film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's much-loved novel, Brideshead Revisited
Or should it be Brideshead Revisited Revisited? It’s a bold move adapting any lengthy classic novel for the big screen, particularly when it has already been the subject of a well-received, classic TV series.
Obviously something has to give when you take that amount of material and condense it to two-and-a-bit hours so if there is a flaw with this glossily beautiful adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic, it’s that it sometimes feels rushed. However, as damage limitation goes, they’ve put it in the right hands. The adaptation is by Andrew Davies – he of Pride & Prejudice and Bleak House fame, to name but a couple. He’s assisted by Jeremy Brock, who did Mrs Brown, and the whole thing is directed by Julian Jarrold, who made the enjoyable Becoming Jane and some of the better TV work of recent years.
So yes, it occasionally feels rushed, almost a ‘best of’ Brideshead, but what remains is stunning, as powerful and witty as ever and beautifully acted by a trio of familiar faces, Matthew Goode, the excellent Ben Whishaw and the radiant Hayley Atwell.
The story is as relevant as ever, dealing as it does with the middle class fascination for those ‘above’ them. These days it would be celebrities. In Waugh’s era, it was the upper classes, represented here by self-destructive toff Sebastian Marchmain (Whishaw) and his delectable sister Julia (Atwell). Their life and attitude is like cat nip to Charles Ryder (Goode) and the odd triangle that develops between the three allows for Waugh to gently satirise 1940s society and cast an intellectual eye over some bigger issues, in particular sexuality, faith and religion.
In Emma Thompson’s hands, Lady Marchmain, the domineering Catholic matriarch against whom Sebastian is rebelling, becomes a surprisingly human ‘villain’. Whether this is a subtle, typically Davies-esque rethink or a little emotional shortcut to Sebastian’s character is unclear, but it should certainly lead to an Oscar nomination for Thompson.
Also in the running for awards next year should be Michael Gambon as Lord Marchmain and the excellent Patrick Malahide as Charles’ sarcastic father.
Jarrold's direction is also first rate, although almost as much praise should, perhaps, be heaped on the team responsible for set dressing, costumes and production design. It's a sumptuous visual treat (and yes, once again they use Castle Howard as the Marchmains' home). It may be needfully abridged but audiences won't feel short-changed.
